


I know

by Thatoneloser_kid



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 16:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5055919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatoneloser_kid/pseuds/Thatoneloser_kid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cora comes back after hearing of Allison's death</p>
            </blockquote>





	I know

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any Lydia/Cora prompts (or even any other teen wolf pairing) sent me them on tumblr : ) Thatoneloser-kid.tumblr.com

Alison had been dead for over half a year now and Lydia was still a mess. She knew Cora had called Derek every so often, asking how she was doing and if she was getting better but she never came back. She took off for South American about three months before Allison had been killed and she hadn't shown any indication that she was ever planning on coming back. 

 

So when she fell down in the picnic bench beside her Lydia was surprised to say the least. 

 

Lydia glanced over at the young wolf who gave her a tight lipped smile, Lydia didn't smile back, she just turned away from Cora to stare blankly in front of her, like she had been doing for the past two hours. 

 

"When did you get back?" She asked, her voice rough and gravely, she had been avoiding everyone as much as she could so she could go days without speaking to anyone. 

 

"An hour ago," 

 

And that's pretty much all they said for a good hour, both of them just sitting on the park bench staring off at nothing. Cora folded her arms on the table and leant her chin on them, reminding Lydia of a bored puppy. 

 

"Allison is dead." Lydia commented, her eyes not moving from the group of crows she had been staring at for the past ten minutes. 

 

"I know,"

 

"I don't really know what to do with myself. I'm supposed to cry, scream, break things, yell. That's what I'm supposed to do but I'm just too tired and... numb."

 

"I know,"

 

"Is that all you can say?" Lydia hissed, whipping her head around to glare at Cora. 

 

Cora seemed unaffected, simply shrugged. "Is there anything I can say to make you feel better?"

 

"Probably not,"

 

"Then I'm not going to say things and risk making you feel worse." Cora replied, her cheek resting on her arm as she peered up at Lydia. "But what you should know is that there is no set way for you to act, there is no rules you should follow, people grieve differently, don't feel bad because you aren't reacting the way you think you should."

 

"It just hurts, and I'm wondering if I cry and kick and scream that it will stop hurting as much."

 

"I don't think that's how it works," Cora said solemnly, her fingertips skimming down Lydia's arm until she reached the redheads hand, curling her fingers tightly around Lydia's. 

 

"What are you..." Lydia trailed off when she felt the tight, panicked feeling she had been feeling for the past six months easy up slightly. It wasn't until she looked down at their joined hands that she figured it why.

 

Lydia yanked her hand back when she noticed the black veins trailing up Cora's arm. 

 

"Don't,"

 

"Why not?"

 

"Just don't, Cora." Lydia grumbled, rubbing her palms on her jeans. 

 

"Just because it wouldn't hurt as much doesn't mean you are forgetting her." Cora commented carefully. "Do you think this is what she would have wanted? You putting yourself through this."

 

"You didn't even _know_ her," Lydia snapped, getting up from the bench and towering over Cora, her arms crossed and a trademark bitch face slipping into place. "And even if you did I'm sure you wouldn't have cared. You didn't care when Erica died, you cared for about five minutes with Boyd." Cora flinched at the mention of both of those names, of course she cared about both Erica and Boyd but they just didn't have time to grieve. Lydia seemed to realise that she had struck a nerve, "I'm sorry,"

 

"No, keep going." Lydia's eyebrows arched questioningly. "You said you felt like you had to yell at someone, yell at me."

 

"I'm not going to yell at you."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Because you are the only person who has actually made an effort with me, I'm not going to yell at you for that." 

 

"Let me take you home, it looks like you haven't slept in weeks." Cora said, slowly standing, peering down at Lydia with caring eyes. "And at least let me take the pain away for you to get a little sleep."

 

"Ok," Lydia agreed, waiting for Cora to stand up fully before making her way toward the entrance of the park. 

 

They walked quietly until they reached Lydia's street, their hands bumping together every so often but neither one of them seemed to care. 

 

"Nice neighbourhood," Cora commented. 

 

"Shame about the people who live in it."

 

There was a story behind that comment, Cora know that, but she didn't ask. 

 

Cora followed Lydia up to her room when they reached her house, gaining a snort in reply when she asked where her parents were. 

 

They both settled on Lydia's bed and at first they just laid side by side, staring up at the ceiling. 

 

"How was South America?" Lydia asked. 

 

"Lonely," Cora admitted, and to her surprise Lydia curled against her after that. She held her arm up uselessly as Lydia situated her head more comfortably against her shoulder, her hand cautiously sliding across Cora's hip to splay across her stomach. 

 

Once she was comfortable Cora slung her arm down her back, her hand resting on Lydia's hip while her other hand linked with Lydia's on her stomach. 

 

Lydia's entire body visible relaxed when Cora began siphoning the pain from her.  

 

"She didn't deserve it, she was a good person." Lydia breathed tiredly. 

 

"I know. Well, apart from the one time she tried to kill all of the werewolves in Beacon Hills." Cora commented, running Lydia's back as the redhead peered up at her, a crooked little grin appearing on Cora's lips. "But I'm over that."

 

"Clearly," Lydia huffed out a little laugh, her nose pressing against Cora's neck as she closed her eyes. 

 

The pain the rolled off of Lydia was bearable, merely a little niggle on Cora's skin, like when you bang your fingertips after being out in the cold for to long. 

 

But as Lydia slipped into a deeper sleep the pain seemed to steadily increase, almost as if Lydia was dreaming about Allison, or maybe the accident. It was over an hour of constant, muscle aching, jaw tensing pain before Lydia startled awake, her hand gripping tightly at Cora's as her other fisting Cora's shirt as she drew in a short gasp. 

 

"Easy, you're ok." Cora assured when Lydia tried to sit up, her fingers combing through the banshee's hair. 

 

Lydia lifted her eyes to peer up at Cora through fearful eyes. "Cora," she breathed, her grip loosing on Cora's hand, but only slightly. "You look exhausted."

 

And she was, she probably had a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead from trying to quench the pain she was leaching from Lydia, and there was probably dark circles under her eyes and her skin a lot paler for the same reason. "I'm fine,"

 

Lydia glanced down at their joined hands before returning her eyes to Cora, quickly withdrawing her hand. Every muscle in Cora's body seemed to completely relax as soon as Lydia's skin left hers. "You're not. Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?"

 

"It wasn't so bad." Cora replied, eyeing Lydia worriedly. 

 

"Stop looking at me like that," Lydia murmured, her forehead falling lazily against Cora's shoulder as she yawned. 

 

"Like what?"

 

"Like you are worried."

 

"What if I am?" Cora said carefully, her eyes fluttering over Lydia's face when the redhead lifted her head again.

 

"Why?" Lydia inquired and Cora shrugged her shoulders. 

 

"No one else seems to think there is anything wrong with you," Cora said. "Either that or they are to busy doing their own grieving to realise you are drowning in yours."

 

"I don't know how to fix it," Lydia admitted quietly, sounding almost ashamed. "It has been six months, I shouldn't still be like this."

 

"It doesn't matter how long has been, Lydia. It took me years to be able to function properly after what happened to my family. I spent, like, five years in full wolf form."

 

"You were a kid,"

 

"Grieving doesn't have an age limit, Lydia."

 

"I just don't understand why it is lasting as long as it is."

 

"She was your best friend, Lydia," Cora sighed, sliding her arm out from under Lydia and rolling into her side of face the banshee, tucking her hands under her pillow. "You can't expect to just get over that."

 

"No, but I still shouldn't be feeling this hopeless, lost.... useless." Lydia whispered, mirroring Cora's position. 

 

Cora shrugged, averting her eyes from Lydia briefly. "I think you are doing great."

 

Lydia huffed out a humourless laugh, "You haven't been here."

 

"Then tell me. Tell me what you've been going through."

 

"Probably the same thing you did when you were grieving." Lydia said in a quiet voice, like maybe if she whispered Cora would forget what she was asking and leave her be, and closed her eyes.

 

Cora suppressed the little sigh that threatened to escape her lips, ghosting her fingers along the skin on Lydia's upper arm.

 

"What happened to you in South America? You've came back a totally different person."

 

"I'm not, I'm still me I just-" Lydia opened her eyes when Cora trailed off, her eyes narrowing at the thoughtful look on Cora's face. 

 

"What?"

 

Cora rolled her eyes, burying her face into Lydia's pillow before murmuring. "I care about you, ok?"

 

Lydia wasn't smiling when Cora peered over at her but there was a softness in her eyes that wasn't there a few seconds ago, like maybe if things were different she would be smiling.

 

"Since when?"

 

"I don't know," Cora shrugged faintly, watching Lydia attentively as she shuffles closer to Cora, their knees bumping together and Lydia ducked her head, her hair tickling Cora's nose as she played with the buttons on the wolf's shirt. "I do know that it's been here since that thing with Aidan. That's partly the reason I attacked him."

 

Lydia's hand slid up over Cora's collarbone, her eyes lifting to look into Cora's as her hand slid up the wolf's neck. 

 

"Don't do this," Cora whispered when she noticed the look in Lydia's eyes. "I'm here for you and I want to be the person you lean on but not like this, not if you are just using this as a way to fix yourself."

 

"And if that's not what this is about?" Lydia asked carefully, her fingers curling around Cora's neck as she pushed the length of her body again Cora's. 

 

"Then do it," Cora breathed and Lydia slowly leant forward, giving Cora the opportunity to change her mind again. 

 

She didn't, and she felt her heart rate spike when Lydia touched their lips together, tentatively at first, just a little experimental peck then she pulled back a sliver, either giving Cora the opportunity to back out (which, no. No way) or readying herself before she kissed Cora fully, pushed at Cora's shoulder under she was on her back, Lydia hovering over her. 

 

Cora was completely overstimulated by everything Lydia. All she could smell was Lydia's sweet, expensive perfume, something that was distinctly Lydia and, worst of all, sadness. All she could feel way Lydia, her lips seemed to be burning hers, and she felt like the fingers gripping onto her back of her neck would probably have bruised her if she was human. All she could hear was Lydia, her little panted breaths whenever she pulled back to re-angle her lips and the sound of Lydia's heart thundering against her ribcage. Then there was a little sob against her mouth and something wet hit Cora's cheek, making her pull back. 

 

"What's wrong? I didn't think I was that bad of a kisser." Cora joked, but she wasn't surprised when Lydia didn't laugh, her hands finding Lydia's cheeks and she used the pad of her thumb to wipe away the tears rolling down Lydia's cheeks. 

 

Cora's hand found its way into Lydia's hair when the banshee buried her face against Cora's chest, her body shaking as she cried. 

 

She hadn't cried over Allison yet, because if she did she knew it wouldn't stop for hours, but now that the flood gates had been opened all she could really do was sob against Cora's chest as she clung to the wolf's shirt. 

 

And Cora gently petted Lydia's hair, whispering for her to breath whenever Lydia went to long without taking a breathe and just reminding her that she was here for her. She made sure to stay away from the 'it's going to be ok' and 'it will get better' because that stuff never made anyone feel better. 

 

It took Lydia a good few hours for her cries and sobs to dissolve into sniffs and hiccups but Cora didn't mind, she just held Lydia close the entire time, waiting for Lydia to be ready to speak instead of pushing her. 

 

"I'm sorry," Lydia whispered gruffly. 

 

"Don't be," Cora assured, pressing a kiss to the top of Lydia's head. 

 

"I just- I though about how much Allison would have been relieved that this finally happened, she was constantly telling me to just take a chance. I thought about how I couldn't wait to tell her but I can't." Lydia started to shake again and Cora began rubbing her back soothingly. "Ever. I can't tell her ever because she's not coming back. She isn't in France, she's gone."

 

Cora didn't know what to say to that so she just squeezed Lydia a little tighter. 

 

"When do you have to leave?"

 

"I don't. I'm all yours."

 

"Won't the pack need you?"

 

"They don't know I'm back," Cora admitted, smiling softly down at Lydia when she lifted her head to look at Cora. "The first thing I did was find you. They can probably smell me by now, though. But I am all yours, as long as you want me here."

 

"You might not want to make promises like that," Lydia murmured as she set her head back down against Cora's chest, her ear just over Cora's heart. 

 

"I am more than willing to deliver on that promise, regardless of how long you want me here." Cora assured, skimming her fingers across the skin on the base of Lydia's back. 

 

"If the pack needs you you should go,"

 

"The pack don't need me, and even if they did my priority right now is you." Cora said, burying her nose into Lydia's hair. "I did care about Erica and Boyd, you know?"

 

"I know you did. I'm sorry I said what I did." Lydia whispered, her fingers tips dancing up Cora's arm, making the young wolf's hairs stand on end. 

 

"No, it's fine, I just wanted to make sure you know I did actually care about them." Cora said. "Erica kept me going in that vault and Boyd was really important to me."

 

"Were you both together?"

 

"No," Cora answered with a little laugh. "He was like a big brother to me."

 

"Ok," Lydia whispered, her fingers tapping out the rhythm of Cora's heart beat, quicker than Lydia's resting heartbeat, she wasn't sure if that was down to her wolf side or what was happening with them right now. "I need to ask you something and I want you to answer honestly."

 

"Of course," Cora promised, shifting her head to peer down at Lydia. "What is it?"

 

"Are you going to take off again? Once I'm better are you going to go back to South America?"

 

"Ask me to stay, ask me to do anything and you know I'll do it." Cora answered, her hand finding its way into Lydia's hair when the banshee tilted her head to look up at her. "It's not safe here, for either of us, for the pack. The town is like a beacon for supernatural nut jobs and psychopaths who always seem to have a thing for killing _you_ over anyone else. Now, like I said, you ask me to stay and I'll stay but I want to ask you to leave with me first?"

 

Lydia looked thoughtful for a second, like she was actually considering it, but eventually a sad, regretful look appeared on her face. "I can't."

 

"What's here for you?" Cora almost added 'now' but managed to stop herself. 

 

Cora expected Lydia to say her parents, or the pack or even Stiles but she definitely didn't expect Lydia to say what she did. "School."

 

Cora needed a few seconds to recover from that. "There are schools in South America, Lydia."

 

"I know that, but after this year I'm going to Harvard."

 

Cora grinned at the sureness in Lydia's tone, she _knew_ Harvard would take her, they would be idiots not too. "Then we stay until then _then_ we leave. Massachusetts is fine, it has a funny smell about it but it's fine nonetheless."

 

"A funny smell?"

 

"Mm," Cora hummed, a thoughtful little frown on her face. "Kinda like, you know the taste of pure coffee. Bitter, really gross? That's what the smell there reminds me of. That mixed in with a little arrogance and self-loathing."

 

"Sounds delightful." Lydia murmured dryly. 

 

"You won't be able to smell it, you have a shitty sense of smell."

 

"Not all of us can have a wolf like sense of smell, dog-breath."

 

Cora barked out a laugh at the insult, her fingers curling around the back to Lydia's neck and she pulled the banshee closer to her, their heads bumping together lightly. "Bite me, banshee."

 

Lydia bit down on Cora's bottom lip before kissing her. 

 

Cora rolled them over, her hands lacing with Lydia's as she positioned herself over the banshee, pressing their hands against the mattress just beside Lydia's head. 

 

She was worried maybe Lydia would realise she was drawing the pain from her again but when she tilted her head up to deepen the kiss Lydia seemed totally and completely lost in her. She melted against Cora, all of the tension unwinding from her muscles as Cora lowered her body to rest flush against Lydia's. 

 

Cora pulled back, her lips grazing Lydia's nose as she moved to kiss her forehead. 

 

Lydia sighed at the contact, her eyes slipping closed. 

 

"What can I do to make this easier?" Cora whispered against the bridge of Lydia's nose. 

 

"This. You are making it easier just by being here."

 

Cora nodded, pulling back when Lydia kissed her chin, a soft smile, a smile had never seen from Cora, pulling its was onto the wolves lips. "God, you're beautiful." 

 

"Kiss me," Lydia whispered and Cora didn't need to be told twice. 

 

The wolf planted a kiss to the bridge of Lydia's nose before kissing her fully on the lips.

 

"I'm trying to give you a reason to stay." Lydia whispered. "Please don't leave me again."

 

"I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
